My only tear
by Mia-Zeklos
Summary: The days after the Second Wizarding war from Rodolphus Lestrange's point of view. One-shot.


_For this once  
It's my turn to be the strong one  
You're in pain, I try to leave with grace  
Say hello to my tear  
I have only one, I kept it safe for this moment_

_Will you leave...?_

He had given up long time ago, when they all realized that the boy is still alive. There was no point of continuing this absurd war. They were losing it. It was obvious to almost everyone now, from both sides. He could see the Malfoys running around and searching for their son, not caring for all the fights around them. Because they knew that there was no point of fighting; they didn't believe in this whole Death Eater idea anymore and they just wanted to be safe and to be together. That's what he wanted too; because he knew that he won't help even if he keeps fighting. It was lost.

Of course, Rodolphus kept fighting anyway. Just because of _her._ He didn't want to call her name even in his mind, because that would make him abandon this whole thing and drag her away from here, no matter if it was voluntarily or by force. He couldn't just leave her here and he knew that she would never leave her master no matter what.

He was right now fighting with a man from the Order, but his eyes were searching for her; he could recognize her everywhere and this moment was no different. He heard her laughing somewhere close to him and talking to a woman. The woman probably didn't like what she said; in fact, she seemed pissed and shouted something at her.

What happened next seemed to be like in some sort of a fog for him like the world suddenly slowed down and he could see every detail of everything going on around him. The two witches kept dueling, slipping away from each other's hexes. The other woman shouted a curse against her and she fell… She just fell…

Rodolphus abandoned his own fight and kneeled next to his wife. In the second he saw her he knew that it was too late. There was no life in her dark eyes, they were empty; emptier than he had ever seen them. He couldn't find the usual fire – even when she was killing or torturing, her eyes were gleaming with fire he sometimes couldn't understand. But now, there was nobody there.

"Bella… Bella, please… Bella…" he whispered, holding her in his arms but got no answer; the dark curls of her hair touched his fingers, but even they seamed less alive now.

"Bella…" he kept repeating. "Bella, you can't… I won't let you leave me…"

"I'm sorry." Someone said behind his back. "But I don't think you can do anything… We have to leave, Rod, if we don't want to…"

"Get the fuck away from here, Rabastan." Rodolphus groaned at his brother.

"Rod… please." Rabastan whispered. "Take her with you if you want to. But please come with me. I don't want you to die to and we all know that we'll die here. I'm not going to die for him."

Rodolphus knew perfectly well what left untold. _I'm not going to make her mistake and I don't want you to do it too._

And he was right, of course. Rabastan was his younger brother and Rodolphus was the one who get him involved with all that. It wasn't fair to leave him now.

* * *

The Lestrange family mansion was quieter than ever. Rodolphus was getting worried about the girls already; Cassiopeia and Lysandra hadn't left their rooms since he returned from Hogwarts three nights ago. He wasn't sure what to do. They were raised by a baby-sitter, of course, and they didn't know their mother that well at all, but they still missed her.

Cassiopeia was probably old enough to bear this and live with it. But Lysandra was nineteen-years-old and she had spent her whole life without her mother around because of the prison. She was just starting to get to know her and she was gone now.

He wasn't sure what to do without her. Bellatrix was always the strong one; the only person that could make him stand up when he had fallen. His only power. Gone.

"Bella won't be buried with the victims of the war." Narcissa whispered when she entered the room. The man wasn't sure why she, her husband and her kid were still around. Lucius had always hated Bellatrix, and he suspected that Narcissa didn't care at all.

"You don't say." Rodolphus murmured, trying to hide his face in his hands. He heard the witch's heels clicking on the wooden floor as she came closer to him.

"Don't be mean." She said. "I know how bad you miss her. She was my sister, Rod. I know she loved you as much as you loved her…"

"Rubbish!" he almost shouted at her. "_When _exactly it was me, Narcissa? When? When we were still in school, probably. But all since she met _him… _It was always him and you know it."

"She knew that it's impossible." Narcissa whispered and gently touched his hair. "He couldn't love anybody and she knew it."

"It's not like it matters now." Rodolphus said and raised his head. "Come on. We need to go and… get this done."

His two daughters were already outside; Cassiopeia was crying and Lysandra was just sitting near the grave, absolutely numb. She most likely couldn't hear a word from what Andromeda Tonks was saying to her. _And what the hell is Andromeda doing here?_, Rodolphus thought. Since they were all children, she simply detested Bellatrix.

Lucius Malfoy was just staring somewhere in the distance; his son was looking at the ground and his hands were shaking. Rodolphus could see that even Andromeda's eyes were wet as she whispered something soothing to her niece. Rabastan was trying to avoid everyone's eyes. Bella was more like his sister; and he loved her as one.

They were all near the grave already – they would bury her in the family tomb. The place was covered with black rose bushes and had a metal fence all around it.

Rodolphus could barely hear what the other ones were saying. He himself couldn't even look at the coffin. It was like loosing half of his own life. As painful as if he was saying a farewell to a part of him. Twice as painful.

He remembered the first time he had met her. They were still so young; probably either 9 or 10 years old.

"_Bellatrix? What a weird name!"_

"_Not half as weird as Rodolphus." She teased him. "Mother says that Bellatrix is a star from a constellation named Orion. And it means also a woman warrior."_

"Rod?" he heard Rabastan calling him as he slightly shook him. It was his turn to say something.

And suddenly, Rodolphus was drowning; he couldn't even take a breath. There was something at his throat that was smothering him and he was grateful for it – nothing would be more painful but living now…

"Farewell, Bellatrix." He managed to whisper at least. A tear fell on the black rose he was holding as he threw it at the coffin; a single, lonely tear. "The brightest star I've ever seen and the strongest warrior I'll ever see."

* * *

**So here's a one-shot from me about the Lestranges. It's not very good, but I just had inspiration for it and... well, that's what I did. Hope you enjoy. :)**

**The song used in the beginning is _Don't be Mean _by _Sonata Arctica._**


End file.
